A new study finds that babies sleep longer on average in their own rooms.

Having analyzed surveys from 230 first-time mothers at Penn State, a pediatrician Dr. Ian Paul discovered that babies slept during longer periods of time when they slept separately from their parents.

This study showed that babies who sleep poorly can be affected by the parents’ stress and mental health. Poor sleep in babies also connected to such issues as behavioral issues and childhood obesity.

Babies sharing a room with their parents were more likely to sleep with such objects as pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals. Both practices have been linked to sudden infant death, including by suffocation.